I know that money is freedom.

The clearest thing money buys is the ability to say no.

No to the shift, the client, the flat with the landlord who makes you uneasy, the family arrangement that only works as long as you keep quiet.

That freedom does not track income as neatly as people expect. Someone earning a great deal with nothing behind them says yes to everything, because a bad quarter would sink them. Someone earning half as much with four months in reserve can stand up and leave a room.

Income and security are different animals, and they do not always travel in the same direction. It is the second one that does the freeing.